Social Science Crunch Kit - List of Lists

Comprehensive vocabulary review flashcards covering all terms, concepts, people, dates, measures, and locations from the Social Science Cram Kit.

Cartography

The discipline of representing Earth through maps

Reference map

A map for identifying landmarks and navigating

Thematic map

A map illustrating variables across a region

Choropleth map

Uses shades or colors for density or intensity

Dot density map

Shows frequency through the number of dots

Graduated symbol map

Shows quantity through the size of a symbol

Flowline map

Uses sized arrows for movement and direction

Cartogram

Distorts the landscape to show a relative variable

Isoline

A line connecting points of equal value

Topographic map

A reference map using isolines for elevation

Mental map

A person's internal, subjective picture of a place

Projection

Transferring locations onto a flat map

Geoid

Earth's irregular, slightly flattened oblate shape

Geographic data

Information about locations revealing patterns

Spatial data

Physical information from maps, satellites, GPS

Non-spatial data

Traits like population, income, or land use

Quantitative data

Mathematical and statistical models

Qualitative data

Interviews, observation, texts, art, archives

Field data

Information collected on site by experts

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Software that layers multiple datasets over one map to analyze a location

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Uses satellites to pinpoint an object's precise position

Remote sensing

Satellites and aircraft gathering spatial data

Toponym

The name identifier of a location

Gerrymandering

Drawing voting boundaries to favor a party

Census data

Basic demographic details like race and housing

Absolute location

Precise position within a coordinate grid

Relative location

The description of a place based on what is nearby

Absolute distance

A measurable span in standardized units

Accessibility

How easily one place can be reached from another

Distance decay

The principle by which interaction between places falls as their distance increases

Time-space compression

The way that technology shrinks the cost of distance

Clustering

The close grouping of factors within a location

Dispersal

Even or random distribution across a location

Place

A location with value from nature or human meaning

Space

The area between places and how things are located in it

Sense of place

Subjective meaning people attach to a location

Placelessness

A place with no distinctive features

Renewable resource

A resource that replenishes naturally and quickly, like solar, wind, hydro

Nonrenewable resource

A resource that will not replenish on a human timeline, like oil, coal, natural gas, minerals

Sustainability

Meeting present needs without costing the future

Environmental sustainability

Protecting ecosystems from exploitation

Economic sustainability

Growth without collapsing the system

Social sustainability

Equity and similar outcomes across places

Environmental determinism

The idea that nature decides what human life is possible

Environmental possibilism

The idea that nature sets limits, while humans shape the rest

Climate change

Major shifts driven by natural and human processes

Urban sprawl

The rapid expansion of cities into rural land

Carrying capacity

The population a place can sustainably support

Ernst Georg Ravenstein

German-English geographer; his 11 laws of migration (1876-89) all hold today except the fifth

Wilbur Zelinsky

Penn State geographer; proposed the five-stage mobility transition model in 1971

Everett S. Lee

Sociologist; built the push-pull theory in 1966 and added intervening obstacles

Thomas Malthus

British economist (1766-1834); warned population growth would outpace food production

Esther Boserup

Danish economist (1910-99); cornucopian who argued population pressure drives farming innovation

Paul Ehrlich

Neo-Malthusian; warned of overpopulation in The Population Bomb (1968)

Mohandas Gandhi

The most important leader of Indian nationalism; opposed partition

Jawaharlal Nehru

Led the Indian National Congress; first prime minister of independent India

Mercator projection

Keeps shape and direction but distorts size near the poles; useful for navigation; very common map

Peters projection

Keeps relative size accurate but distorts landmass shape; also called Gall-Peters

Equal-area projection

Projections that keep size accurate but sacrifice shape; includes Peters

Robinson projection

Balances shape, size, distance, and direction; favored for world maps

Ratio scale

Map scale given as a ratio of map distance to real distance, like $1:3000$

Written scale

Map scale stated in words on the map, like one inch equals 250 miles

Graphic scale

Map scale shown as a bar divided into segments of real distance

Latitude

Horizontal lines measuring distance north or south of the Equator

Longitude

Vertical lines (meridians) measuring distance east or west of the Prime Meridian

Prime Meridian

$0^\circ$ longitude; runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England

Globalization

Increased global connections

Site

Physical characteristics of a location

Situation

Relationship to other locations

Spatial perspective

Geographic mindset that asks the "why of where"

Spatial analysis

Connecting human actions to geographic patterns

Scale of analysis

Scope of a study: local, regional, national, global

Formal region

Area sharing a key trait, like language or borders

Functional region

Area organized around a central hub

Vernacular region

Area defined by shared perception, like the Bible Belt

Coordinate system

Grid of axes used to find absolute location

Elevation

A location's height above sea level

Flows

Movement of goods and ideas between places

Cultural ecology

Community response to the natural environment

Survey system

Organized division and description of land

Adaptive strategies

Changes in lifestyle to suit the environment

Long lots

Narrow strips of land running back from a river; common in French colonial sites

Metes and bounds

Land divided by natural landmarks

Township and grid

Land divided into even squares; the U.S. rectangular system

Residential land use

How people use land for housing

Agricultural land use

The use of land to grow and sell crops

Commercial land use

The use of land and resources for economic gain

Industrial land use

The use of land and resources for manufacturing

Natural features

Earthen landmarks like lakes and mountains

Human features

Human-built landmarks like buildings and roads

Culture

Shared customs, art, norms, and institutions of a group

Cultural geography

How cultures differ, change, and spread

Material culture

Physical objects like tools, artwork, buildings

Nonmaterial culture

Intangible practices: language, morals, beliefs, symbolic meaning

Sociofact

An institution that organizes social norms (a mosque)

Mentifact

A shared ideal, value, or belief system (Islam)

Cultural hearth

Origin of cultures; producers of languages, agriculture, and more

Folk culture

Unified cultures in small groups

Popular culture

Widespread culture; spreads through contagious and hierarchical diffusion

Homogenization

The dilution of distinct cultures, attributed to globalization